Beyoncé has thanked Paul McCartney for writing “one of the best songs ever made”. The singer finished a run of six gigs at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday night and took to Instagram afterwards to pay tribute to the Walton-born Beatles legend.
She has covered The Beatles’ 1968 classic ‘Blackbird’ – which she recorded for her Grammy winning country record Cowboy Carter – on the tour. In an Instagram post today, she was pictured wearing a Blackbird-themed ensemble designed by Paul’s fashion designer daughter Stella McCartney.
In the caption, Beyoncé wrote: “Thank you, Sir Paul McCartney, for writing one of the best songs ever made. Every time I sing it I feel so honored. And it is a full circle moment to wear your beautiful daughter’s design.
“Thank you, London, for creating unforgettable memories for me and my family. Holla at ‘ya when I come on tour again!”
Paul previously told Beyoncé, 43, that she recorded a “killer version” of Blackbird. Urging his fans to listen to it upon its release in 2024, he wrote on Instagram: “I am so happy with Beyoncé’s version of my song ‘Blackbird’.
“I think she does a magnificent version of it and it reinforces the civil rights message that inspired me to write the song in the first place.
“I think Beyoncé has done a fab version and would urge anyone who has not heard it yet to check it out. You are going to love it!”
He continued: “I spoke to her on FaceTime and she thanked me for writing it and letting her do it. I told her the pleasure was all mine and I thought she had done a killer version of the song.
“When I saw the footage on the television in the early 60s of the black girls being turned away from school, I found it shocking and I can’t believe that still in these days there are places where this kind of thing is happening right now.
“Anything my song and Beyoncé’s fabulous version can do to ease racial tension would be a great thing and makes me very proud.”
The song was inspired by the Little Rock Nine – nine African American school pupils who were the first non-white pupils to enrol at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Their enrolment was blocked by the Governor of Arkansas and led to President Dwight D. Eisenhower intervening to allow them to go to the school. Paul wrote the song at his home in Scotland, with its music inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach’s Bourrée in E minor.
In the book ‘Many Years From Now’ with Barry Miles, Paul elaborated on its meaning. He said: “I had in mind a black woman, rather than a bird.
“Those were the days of the civil rights movement, which all of us cared passionately about, so this was really a song from me to a black woman, experiencing these problems in the States: ‘Let me encourage you to keep trying, to keep your faith, there is hope.’
“As is often the case with my things, a veiling took place so, rather than say ‘Black woman living in Little Rock’ and be very specific, she became a bird, became symbolic, so you could apply it to your particular problem.”
Paul was the only Beatle involved in the song’s recording – singing and playing guitar. He recorded it alone on June 11, 1968.
When ‘The White Album’ was released that November, ‘Blackbird’ was very well received and is considered to be among The Beatles’ best songs. In a retrospective, Jacob Stolworthy of The Independent praised its “beautiful calmness”.
He wrote: “For many, it’s the apotheosis of McCartney’s career and remains a standout in his solo live shows.”